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Albie Morkel ransacked 28 runs off the first six balls he faced – the 19th over – to pull off an incredible heist for Chennai Super Kings, the second highest successful chase in the IPL

The Report by Firdose Moonda12-Apr-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details Faf du Plessis built the platform from which Albie Morkel launched his match-winning assault•AFP

Albie Morkel ransacked 28 runs off the first six balls he faced – the 19th over – to pull off an incredible heist for Chennai Super Kings, the second highest successful chase in the IPL. Pursuing 206, Super Kings needed 43 off 12 balls and Royal Challengers Bangalore would have thought the match safe, only for Morkel to shatter the notion by savaging Virat Kohli’s over.Morkel launched three sixes, two fours and ran a two, to leave Super Kings with 15 to get in the last over. Although he was caught on the boundary, and Super Kings needed 14 off four balls, Dwayne Bravo was on hand to finish it off, helped by a no-ball and a full toss from Vinay Kumar. It was a compelling finish to an innings that had its platform laid by aggression from Faf du Plessis and innovation from MS Dhoni, who promoted himself to No. 4, but until that rocket-fueled thrust from Morkel, Super Kings had been behind for 38 overs.In hindsight Royal Challengers were left to rue a late collapse in their innings, when five wickets fell in six balls and they scored only 11 runs off the final ten deliveries. Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli had done enough to ensure they were the first side to make more than 200 in this IPL, but they were set for more than 205 at one stage.While Royal Challengers swelled in the middle of their innings, scoring 21 off the ninth over, Super Kings waited for the end to lash out after a solid start. Du Plessis took control of the innings early on and scored risk-free boundaries off short balls. He dominated the first seven overs, while M Vijay batted in his shadow.Vijay became the first of Muttiah Muralitharan’s three scalps when he offered the Sri Lankan a return catch. Murali had to dive to his right and defy his age to complete it and he did. Murali broke the next two partnerships as well to prevent Super Kings from gaining too much ground. Suresh Raina and du Plessis both holed out as they fought a climbing asking rate.With more than 15 an over required off the last five, Super Kings needed a sustained attack. It did not come. Dhoni perished in the cause, attempting the helicopter shot to be caught at long-off, which proved a blessing in disguise as it brought Morkel to the crease.Kohli was given the responsibility of the 19th over because Vettori had exhausted the quotas of his experienced bowlers and Gayle was off the field with what seemed to be a groin niggle. Morkel got underway with an inside edge for four and then blasted the next delivery over long-on for six. An outside edge off the third ball flew towards third man for four and Morkel clobbered the fourth and sixth deliveries for six as well.When Morkel was dismissed, the advantage was back with a shell-shocked Royal Challengers but Vinay Kumar let it slip again. He bowled a high no-ball that Bravo pulled for four and the next delivery was a full toss, which got slapped for six. Vinay Kumar followed up with two boundary-less balls leaving Super Kings with two to win off the last ball. Ravindra Jadeja swung hard at the final delivery and outside-edged to the third-man boundary, sparking off delirious celebrations in the Super Kings dugout. Royal Challengers explosive efforts with the bat were a distant memory.During Royal Challengers’ innings, Mayank Agarwal had performed a similar role to Du Plessis, attacking at the start. He initially eclipsed Gayle, peppering the off side with powerful shots, lofting the ball over mid-off and timing it sweetly through covers. Agarwal ushered Royal Challengers to the first half-century score inside five overs this season.Unlike du Plessis, however, Agarwal did not build on his platform and top-edged a slower bouncer from Morkel to mid-on. He had done enough though for Gayle and Kohli to build a skyscraper on. Both scored half-centuries in contrasting styles. Gayle gathered runs with power while Kohli did it with placement and timing. Their partnership grew to the highest of this IPL but neither of them survived until the end of the innings, from where they may have been able to launch the kind of onslaught Morkel did, and break the game.

Pakistan’s new Twenty20 captain Mohammad Hafeez has said he expects a tough contest in all three formats against Sri Lanka

Sa'adi Thawfeeq28-May-2012Pakistan’s new Twenty20 captain Mohammad Hafeez has said he expects a tough contest in all three formats against Sri Lanka.”We all know that Sri Lanka is always good on their own soil and we are looking forward to a very tough series,” Hafeez said at a media conference held a few hours after the team’s arrival on Monday for a seven-week tour.”We have experience playing them in the recent past and had good success against them,” he said, referring to the Test and ODI series victories when the sides met in the UAE late last year. “I personally feel the boys have worked really hard in the last one and a half months. Although we were not playing any international cricket (recently) some of the guys were doing their own training and the PCB arranged some matches for us to get match practice.”The Pakistan coach Dav Whatmore was happy with the team’s preparation for the series. “Although Pakistan is unable to play any international matches at home due to the security concerns in their country, they managed to practice together before coming to Sri Lanka,” he said. “We had a pretty decent two weeks camp before we came here finishing up with some practices that were attended by conservatively 15,000 people who were starved of cricket and they just loved them.”The advantage a country like Sri Lanka has, apart from IPL of course, is they are all centralised in one spot. In our case a lot of the boys are spread out. There are a lot of weeks of build-up before we come together for a camp. From that point of view you can’t be in all the places at once taken in good faith that they are working and the boys have. But the two weeks was very good at the other end.”Whatmore served as head coach of the Sri Lanka team on two occasions and is best remembered for guiding them to win the World Cup in 1996 in his first attempt. “That was a long time ago when I finished with Sri Lanka and a lot of water has passed under the bridge. I maintain some friendships which are always good but the task here is to win. It will be nothing less than working 100% to achieve that. The longer goal is to take Pakistan high up in the rankings in all three formats. It’s a simple statement but it requires a lot of work.”Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene said that it was a good challenge for his team to play Pakistan at home. “If you take their performances in the last six months they have performed well in all three formats. To play them in our conditions is a good challenge,” Jayawardene said. “We must move forward from the series against England. One-day cricket is important to us and also the T20 because in another 3-4 months we have the World T20 so the T20 matches against Pakistan and the two we will play against India in July are extremely important to us.”Pakistan being their tour of Sri Lanka with two T20 Internationals at Hambantota on June 1 and 3 before moving into the five-match ODI series and the Tests.

Bangladesh kept themselves in the running for a spot in the final of the Zimbabwe tri-series, just, with a six-wicket win over Zimbabwe at Harare Sports Club

Liam Brickhill21-Jun-2012
ScorecardHamilton Masakadza made his fourth consecutive score over 50, but it wasn’t enough for Zimbabwe•AFP

Bangladesh kept themselves in the running for a spot in the final of the Zimbabwe tri-series, just, with a six-wicket win over Zimbabwe at Harare Sports Club. Nasir Hossain held Bangladesh’s pursuit of 150 together, responding to Hamilton Masakadza’s half-century with an unbeaten 41 to guide his side home with 15 balls to spare. The real credit for the win must go to Bangladesh’s bowlers, however, as they scuppered Zimbabwe’s charge at the death of their innings to keep the target within reach.An aggressive start from Zimbabwe’s batsmen had put the home side in a position to reach at least 160 after Brendan Taylor won his third toss in a row and, once again, decided to bat first. Zimbabwe were well-placed at 125 for 3 at the end of the 16th over, with two set batsmen at the crease before Bangladesh clawed their way back into the game.Left-arm spinner Elias Sunny provided the breakthrough by having Stuart Matsikenyeri caught at long on for an industrious 27, and from that point onwards wickets fell regularly. The complexion of the match changed completely as Mashrafe Mortaza returned to have Masakadza caught behind, heaving at a slower ball, for 56. In the same over Elton Chigumbura’s run out reduced Zimbabwe to 132 for 6 before Prosper Utseya was undone by an Abul Hasan slower ball and Graeme Cremer sliced an attempted slog to be caught in the deep off Mortaza, who was named Man of the Match for his efforts.Zimbabwe’s stumble, during which they lost five wickets for just 31 runs in the last five overs of their innings, gave Bangladesh a gettable target at which to aim and their openers, Tamim Iqbal and Mohammad Ashraful, launched the chase with gusto. Taylor opened the bowling with Prosper Utseya, the offspinner promptly being despatched for two crisp boundaries in his first five balls. Chris Mpofu’s first over went for 15, and Bangladesh were flying at 25 without loss.Bangladesh then suffered a stutter, courtesy some needlessly reckless batting from Ashraful, who was bowled attempting a paddle, and some equally casual running from Tamim. Graeme Cremer had Anamul Haque caught behind in his first over to reduce Bangladesh to a wobbly 52 for 3 in the seventh over, but Nasir Hossain then joined captain Mushfiqur Rahim in the middle and the pair set about repairing the innings.Theirs was a watchful partnership, and apart from Mushfiqur’s solitary six, their entire stand of 47 was made up of scampered ones and twos. Zimbabwe’s hopes will have been briefly raised when a superb pick-up and throw from Vusi Sibanda had Mushfiqur run out for 31, but Hossain and Mahmudullah closed out the match in a flurry of boundaries. They put on an unbeaten 54 at almost 13-runs an over to keep Bangladesh’s hopes alive in this series.Earlier, Masakadza had once again provided the backbone of Zimbabwe’s innings and his extraordinary run of form has now extended to a century and three fifties in his last four innings.
After Masakadza lost his opening partner, Vusi Sibanda, to a run out, a partnership of 48 in 32 deliveries with his captain Taylor helped Zimbabwe to weather the early breakthrough and briefly keep the ascendancy. Taylor contributed watchful 38s in Zimbabwe’s previous two wins, holding the middle order together, but with his side seemingly assured of a place in Sunday’s final he chose to take the attack to the bowlers.Taylor raced to 27 from just 12 balls but then played one shot too many, a top-edged hoick ending up in Mahmudullah’s hands at deep midwicket. Taylor’s dismissal meant that Zimbabwe’s middle order, which hasn’t really been tested yet in this series, were offered the chance for some time in the middle. Craig Ervine couldn’t make anything of the opportunity, however, as his dreadful run with the bat continued when he played outside the line of a Mahmudullah straight-break to depart for a golden duck.While Masakadza remained Zimbabwe still looked like passing 160, and he was cheered to a 47-ball fifty in the 15th over. The crowds attending the matches at Harare Sports Club have swelled as Zimbabwe racked up consecutive wins, and a particularly noisy rabble around Castle Corner kept warm on a wintry afternoon with choruses of exuberant and vocal support.
Once Masakadza was prised out by Mortaza, however, they had much less cause to celebrate.

A five-for in the only innings so far of Glamorgan’s match with Kent means that James Harris is well and truly back in business

20-Jul-2012
ScorecardJames Harris secured the eighth five-wicket haul of his first-class career against Kent•Getty Images

They are not the most flattering figures of his fledgling career, by any means, but a five-for in the only innings so far of this match means that James Harris is well and truly back in business.Still just 22, the fast bowler from Swansea has been earning rave reviews ever since he made his first-class debut for Glamorgan as a 16-year-old and became the county’s youngest player to take a wicket at that level. England U-19s and Lions selection followed in due course and there is no doubt he remains firmly on the selectors’ radar, even though the competition for places in the international pace department may never have been stronger. So far as this season goes, though, Harris is just pleased to be fit and firing again.A groin injury that required surgery forced him to not only miss last winter’s Lions tours but also to sit out the first half of this year’s Championship campaign. And when he did return, progress – unsurprisingly – was steady rather than spectacular with three wickets in three innings, against Leicestershire and Northants.All that has changed here, though, with an analysis of 5 for 118 from 33 overs. Four of those strikes came on the first day and this morning he deservedly bowled Mark Davies with a fast and straight delivery to make sure he finished with a handful for the eighth time in his first-class career.The immediate aim for Harris is to keep on taking wickets for Glamorgan but he admits to having his eyes on representative honours, despite being a late-starter this campaign. “There are a couple of Lions games coming up which I would love to be involved in and then there are tours this winter,” he said. “It was so frustrating missing out last winter.”Frustration was the name of the game on Friday with only 38 of a possible 96 overs being bowled. During that time Kent added another 146 runs for the loss of five more wickets – but with rain arriving in mid-afternoon and then returning just when a re-start seemed imminent, a draw is now the likeliest result.Whatever happens, Kent have bagged a full haul of batting points for the first time this season. They did so by passing 400 with three overs to spare and despite losing first-day century-makers Brendan Nash and Darren Stevens within the opening half an hour. Huw Waters, handicapped by illness yesterday, did the damage with the second new-ball. He also had an appeal against Geraint Jones, for a catch behind, turned down when the former England keeper had scored just 3.Jones went on to make an unbeaten 69, from 96 balls, enabling Kent to shrug off their early losses. And importantly, he received good support from tail-enders Matt Coles and Davies. Even when Davies fell to Harris, the fun continued with No. 11 Charlie Shreck driving spinner Dean Cosker for a straight six – his first maximum in first-class cricket after 119 innings without clearing the rope.If that blow was something of a shock to the system, the arrival of rain most certainly was not. The forecast is good for the second half of this match but Kent’s bowlers will need to go some to earn the promotion hopefuls a victory from here.

Bamford Fieldhouse, York, Havant, and Wansted and Snaresbrook will contest the semi-finals of the Kingfisher Cup

George Dobell24-Aug-2012Just four clubs are left in the hunt for the biggest prize in recreational cricket as the Kingfisher Cup reaches the semi-final stage this weekend.The winning team in this year’s competition – one of Bamford Fieldhouse, York, Havant or Wansted and Snaresbrook – will be given a cheque for £5,000, with the runners-up earning £2,000. The final is scheduled to take place at Derbyshire County Cricket Club’s ground on September 16.The former Lancashire and England wicketkeeper Warren Hegg and fellow Lancashire and England team-mate Chris Schofield are the driving force behind Bamford Fieldhouse reaching the semi-final. The Rochdale, Saddleworth and District League side secured their last-four place by beating Birmingham League side Kidderminster Victoria, with Hegg contributing a well-paced 40 runs in his side’s total of 212-6. They will now travel to York, who defeated Cuckney in an enthralling seven-run victory.York, who have won the Yorkshire League nine times and the National Knockout competition in 1975, will offer stern competition in what promises to be a tough Roses encounter. The York team are coached by the former Yorkshire and England middle-order batsman Jim Love, who was responsible for transforming Scottish cricket and eventually took the country to the Commonwealth Games and the ICC World Cup.In the south section of the Kingfisher Cup, Havant from the Southern Electric Hampshire League secured a 65-run win over Birmingham League champions Barnt Green, skippered by the former Warwickshire, Scotland and England allrounder Dougie Brown.Havant host Wansted and Snaresbrook , the Essex Premier League team who managed to dispose of Somerset-based West of England Premier League team Bridgewater. Wansted, the club which helped develop Essex and England wicketkeeper James Foster, are competing in their first national knockout semi-final.The semi-finals of this year’s tournament will be attended by Professional Cricketers Association ambassadors, who will adjudicate over Man of the Match awards for both games. Former Surrey and England captain Mark Butcher will adjudicate the Havant match, whilst Devon Malcolm will travel to York for the Roses encounter.

Matthew Wade’s place in the Australian batting order against Pakistan may hinge on the outcome of the coin toss as concerns mount over his workload in the Sharjah heat

Daniel Brettig27-Aug-2012Matthew Wade’s place in the Australian batting order against Pakistan may hinge on the outcome of the coin toss, as concerns mount over his ability to play as an opener after keeping wicket for 50 overs in the enervating heat of Sharjah.Australia’s acting coach – and former Test wicketkeeper – Steve Rixon has flagged the possibility of Wade being sent down the order should Australia field first against Pakistan in the opening match of the series, even suggesting that Michael Hussey may be promoted to open the batting as he does for Chennai, Rixon’s IPL team.In the defeat of Afghanistan, Wade batted at the top of the order and contributed a battling 75 before snaffling three catches. He was noticeably drained by the end, but would be stretched even further with only the dinner break between keeping wicket and opening the batting in a chase.”Matthew Wade is probably the biggest concern,” Rixon said in Sharjah. “He has a dual role to play. If he has to field first, and then go out and do the batting, he’s going to look a lot more tired doing it that way than the way he did it last night. He’s a guy we will have to manage well and his position in the batting may have a bearing on that.”Rixon made it clear he would welcome the chance to send Hussey up the order, though he demonstrated his value in the middle order with a rapid-fire 49 from 37 balls to ensure Australia reached a strong total against Afghanistan. The captain Michael Clarke, just promoted to No. 3, and the floating George Bailey are other options to open the batting.”Probably a really positive option would be Mike Hussey,” Rixon said, “who has opened with the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League.”Ahead of Australia’s first meeting with Pakistan since the 2011 World Cup, Rixon suggested that Australia needed to play to the pace strength demonstrated against Afghanistan, though it is known that Pakistan will stack their side with up to four slow bowlers of quality.”We’ve learnt a lot by actually playing a lot of our guys over the years in the Indian Premier League and other subcontinent competitions where we’ve actually seen how quicks bowling into the wicket with pace can be hard work,” Rixon said. “To me, if that’s our trump card, by all means we’ll be using it accordingly. You don’t just play spinners for the sake of it.”You’ve got to be getting people who are going to play a role in your side. If that means three or four quicks, or three quicks and say [absent allrounder] Shane Watson to come into your bowling attack, by all means, that will be our attack. It’s something we took on board and we’ll probably be using it as one of our strengths.”Nonetheless, Clarke was keen to emphasise the importance of handling and using spin bowling as critical to the outcome of the series. Xavier Doherty, Glenn Maxwell and Steven Smith may be used primarily in support of Mitchell Starc, James Pattinson and Mitchell Johnson, but Clarke did not wish to underplay their importance to a winning combination.”Whoever bowls spin the best and whoever plays spin the best will win the series,” Clarke said. “Whether it is attacking or defending, the way our spinners bowl is going to be crucial to us having success. It doesn’t mean they take all the wickets, as we’ve seen.”The Australian way is, for a long time, fast bowlers have had success all around the world. I see this series being no different, but I do believe our spinners are going to play a huge part in us taking 10 wickets in every game.”As for the issue of humidity, Clarke said extra attention had to be paid in the form of sweatbands, and towels. “Probably the most important thing for us is when bowling second, realise how much you’re sweating,” Clarke said. “So we’ll combat that with guys wearing sweatbands, make sure there’s towels, to be able to hang onto the ball.”

England Women romped to victory in the first of five Twenty20 internationals against West Indies Women, taking just 9.4 overs to chase 72

The Report by Alan Gardner08-Sep-2012
ScorecardLaura Marsh hit a rapid 31 after taking 1 for 11 with her offspin to win Player of the Match•Getty Images

England Women romped to victory in the first of five Twenty20 internationals against West Indies Women, taking just 9.4 overs to chase down a target of 72 and complete their 16th consecutive win in the format. Though the pitches in Sri Lanka will not be quite the same as that at Chester-le-Street, the success of England’s spinners augurs well for the upcoming Women’s World Twenty20 and the chances of the team reclaiming the title they lost to Australia in 2010.England openers, Charlotte Edwards and Laura Marsh, rattled along at almost ten an over, tickling the ball to all parts of the ground. Two strokes from Marsh showcased a combination of power and precision, as she lofted Tremayne Smartt down the pitch for four in the second over and later stepped away to thread a drive through the covers against Shanel Daley.”It was great to start the series off like that,” Marsh, the player of the match, said. “We’re really pleased with our performance today, the opening bowlers bowled brilliantly and the spinners backed them up. We followed up well with the bat to get the job done. We’re all looking forward to carrying this momentum forwards to Old Trafford on Monday.”Marsh put on a 58-run opening stand with Edwards, who was was strong square on both side of the wicket, as the on-looking members of the England men’s side, including Ravi Bopara and Craig Kieswetter, were given a lesson in how to bat on the pitch ahead of their T20 international against South Africa. Although Marsh was stumped trying to slog down the ground and Sarah Taylor chipped to mid-off with six required, Edwards steered the winning single to third man without the need for even a halfway drink.West Indies, missing star allrounder Stafanie Taylor, who was last month nominated for the ICC’s Cricketer of the Year award alongside the likes of Saeed Ajmla and Alastair Cook, decided to bat after winning the toss. They got off to an abysmal start, however, as the ball swung from Katherine Brunt’s very first delivery. Juliana Nero fiddled across the line second ball to be lbw and the left-handed Kycia Knight was also trapped in front by the last delivery, which snaked back in a manner reminiscent of a Vernon Philander inswinger.Worse was to come when Deandra Dottin, holder of the record for the fastest hundred in T20 international cricket (male or female), pushed forward to her third delivery from Anya Shrubsole and was hit on the front pad as the ball again curved in seductively.Captain Merissa Aguilleira lofted Brunt’s slower ball over midwicket for the first four of the West Indies innings, putting on 28 with Shemaine Campbelle, but England’s spinners found turn and bounce to stifle the scoring. After a string of overs that saw seven runs conceded from 21 balls, Campbelle was bowled round her legs by Holly Colvin as she shuffled across her stumps and, after finding Marsh almost impossible to score off, Aguilleira miscued an attacking stroke straight to mid-off.England were tigerish, if occasionally wayward, in the field and Edwards demonstrated the effects of working with specialist coach Cookie Patel this year with a one-handed pick-up and throw from short fine leg to run out Britney Cooper with a direct hit. Taylor’s hands then flashed quicksilver behind the stumps to have Stacy-Ann King stumped first ball before Shanel Daley skewed to point trying to hit across the line against Wyatt.Smartt’s run-a-ball 14 from No. 9 was liveliest knock of the innings as West Indies added 17 from the last three overs to avoid setting a new lowest score in the format. Though that was probably scant consolation.

Marcus North, Perth Scorchers’ captain, confirmed that breaches of team discipline harmed the squad’s Champions League campaign but would not name which players were involved

Firdose Moonda in Centurion23-Oct-2012Marcus North, Perth Scorchers’ captain, confirmed that breaches of team discipline harmed the squad’s Champions League campaign but would not name which players were involved.”All I will say is that there are players that played today and players that didn’t play today that let the team down in preparation last week,” North said at Scorchers’ final appearance in the tournament. “Last week, against Delhi, there are players in our side that didn’t reach the standards of preparations that we require from them. It was not the night before the game against Delhi, but our preparations for the Delhi game in Cape Town.”The Scorchers’ lost that match by three wickets, after posting a below par 121 for 5 and were knocked out of the tournament because of that. They also lost the opening game against Titans in Centurion and had one washout but came back to earn a consolation win in their final game.Knowing that the result would have no bearing on their chances, the Scorchers made three changes to their starting XI. Their leaving out of both Marsh brothers, Shaun and Mitchell, and Nathan Rimmington led to speculation that those were the players who had breached team protocol, especially since the Marsh brothers have been in trouble for misbehaviour previously.North did not verify that but stuck to his line about giving everyone a run in the event. “We brought 15 players over for this tournament, it was a dead rubber for us and we wanted to give those guys an opportunity to play in a big tournament like this,” he said.Scorchers’ coach Lachlan Steven had earlier said there would be “further discussions about things” once the team returned home, hinting that some corrective measures would be taken. But North could not say whether there would be any action: “I have no idea. I can’t speak on behalf of Cricket Australia.”Instead, he chose to focus on the reasons for the teams’ poor performance in South Africa, especially after they were expected to do better. “It’s been a frustrating campaign for us. We had the Titans first, who were very hungry on their home patch. And then in Durban against Kolkata, [we were] very much on our way to posting a winning total … ” North said. Rain came down with the Scorchers on 91 for 2 and they did not get back on the field.”Against Delhi we came back against a side who have four players who have been international captains [Mahela Jayawardene, Ross Taylor, Kevin Pietersen and Virender Sehwag] and are so good that David Warner can’t even get a place. It was good to get a win today. Titans’ Martin van Jaarsveld, who I played with at Glamorgan, came to me and said we should do them a favour and we did.” Scorchers’ victory meant both the Titans and Delhi Daredevils qualified for the semis.What awaits the Scorchers once they’re home is uncertain, especially after national chairman of selectors John Inverarity told SEN radio station that there needed to be “some changes,” at Western Australia to “recapture their culture”. North dismissed the seriousness of that comment when he said, “He is not part of Western Australia management.”The team has suffered a few barren years, having last won silverware in 2004, and are believed to have a number of behind the scenes problems. North did not delve into any of them but said he is “excited” for the season ahead. In the meanwhile, he thinks his countrymen at Sydney Sixers could go on to win the Champions League and called them the “best performing unit” of the tournament.

Sharmila Tagore, the widow of Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, asked the BCCI to name India-England series as the Pataudi trophy but the board said the series is already played for the Anthony de Mello Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Nov-2012Sharmila Tagore, the widow of former India captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, has written to the BCCI asking for the upcoming series between India and England to be recognised as the Pataudi Trophy. The Indian board has responded saying that England’s Test series in India are contested for the Anthony de Mello Trophy.Pataudi, who died in September 2011, played 46 Tests for India, captaining in 40, and scored 2793 runs at an average of 34.91. Pataudi’s father, Iftikhar Ali Khan, represented both England and India in Tests. De Mello was an administrator who was instrumental in the formation of the BCCI, the Cricket Club of India and other cricketing institutions.In Tagore’s letter, written on November 2, to BCCI President N Srinivasan, she said she was disappointed that the board had not instituted a Pataudi lecture and the Pataudi Trophy.
“As you are aware, next week the India-England Test series begins,” Tagore said. “I am given to understand ECB has already written to BCCI requesting to make the trophy official.”The BCCI responded in a press release saying it couldn’t name the series after Pataudi. “India-England Test Series in India is played for the Anthony De Mello trophy instituted in 1951 in the name of the first secretary of the BCCI, recognising his contribution to Indian cricket.”The MCC had commissioned the Pataudi Trophy in 2007, to be presented to the winning captain at the end of future England-India Test series. It was conceived to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the first-ever India-England Test series that took place in 1932, named after the Pataudi family for their contribution to Anglo-Indian cricket. The BCCI, though, didn’t give its official stamp of approval to the naming of the trophy.”In 2007, when MCC proposed the institution of Pataudi Trophy for England-India series, the BCCI had clarified that the trophy is already named after Anthony De Mello.”November 6, 2.15pm GMT This story has been updated with the BCCI’s response

Alastair Cook hailed a fantastic achievement after England closed out a 2-1 series win in India

David Hopps17-Dec-2012Alastair Cook left the presentation in Nagpur overladen with trophies after England completed their first series win in India for 28 years.Not just one series trophy but two, plus individual recognition as man of the series, completed a perfect start to Cook’s Test captaincy as he joined Douglas Jardine, David Gower and Tony Greig as the only England skippers to win a Test series in India.Add his unofficial stint as Test captain in Bangladesh when he stood in for Andrew Strauss and he has already twice led England to victories in sub-continent conditions which have so often proved alien.Cook even put the 2-1 series win alongside the accepted pinnacle for an England player – victory in the Ashes. “It is obviously a very special day, a special tour,” he said. “I think it is on a par with the Ashes. As an Englishman winning in Australia after so long meant a huge amount. But to be in that that dressing room there for that last half an hour knowing what we had achieved was a very special place and it will live long in my memory.”England’s celebrations were a world away from their misery in Ahmedabad less than a month ago when they were beaten by nine wickets in the opening Test, their frailties against spin again apparent.Since then, Cook has taken particular pride in England’s ability to silence their demons and to adapt to whatever conditions have been thrown at them. His own run tally of 562 in the series led the way set the example with the bat as England conquered India’s spinners and they also unveiled two superior slow bowlers themselves in Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann.”We have played on four very different wickets,” he said. “We didn’t handle the Ahmedabad wicket so well, but the other three wickets were all very different in sub-continent style. Everyone in this squad can be proud of what they achieved, especially the way we bounced back after the heavy defeat in Ahmedabad.”I was surprised at the level we managed to achieve so soon after Ahmedabad to be honest with you. I was talking about playing to our potential but I was surprised we managed to do it straightaway and put all those doubts to bed and prove to ourselves that we could bat in these conditions.”Cook credited a sharply-turning pitch in Mumbai, as advocated by India’s captain MS Dhoni, with jolting England into a response.”After the first game in Ahmedabad it would have been so easy to let head drops, but we showed a lot of character in Mumbai,” he said. “I think the fact it was a result wicket in Mumbai really helped us.”It freed us up knowing that one way or another there would be a result and that people weren’t expecting us to win. Once we got over that mental hurdle and were able to trust our ability on these wickets with the bat we certainly made a big leap forward.”
But that recovery began earlier than Mumbai. It was Cook’s defiant second-innings in the defeat in Ahmedabad that began to set the tone. “You want to prove that the captaincy is not a burden. To do it straight away is a big monkey of your back. It made me very proud that night when I went home after the game. If it gave other people confidence that is even more pleasing.”As the tour developed, Cook got the support he needed from senior players in the dressing room: Kevin Pietersen, the integrated version, looking content with life; Matt Prior, as big an influence on England as Adam Gilchrist once was on Australia; James Anderson, proving himself in India as a skilled practitioner on demoralising surfaces for fast bowling with old ball and new; and the ever-garrulous Swann, delighted to have a partner in crime in Panesar.”They are big characters in the dressing room,” Cook said. “The support they have given me, I couldn’t have asked for anything more. To captain those guys can be tough in certain circumstances, but you want that, you want a lot of ideas and strong opinions because that is when you normally get the best thinking done.”Nagpur was the oddest test of all, a pitch that was strikingly slow and uneven at the start and which gradually became more docile, a perfect surface for an England side prepared to bat with discipline to avoid defeat and so win the series.”We were slightly surprised by the pitch at the start, how low and slow it was,” Cook said. “We thought it would get worse but actually it got better. We knew when we were batting in the second innings it was going to be very hard for India to take those wickets and if we applied ourselves with not too many soft dismissals it would be very hard to bowl us out.”England’s authority on the final day was unshakeable as the Warwickshire pair of Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell took their fourth-wicket stand to 208 in 79 overs, both making hundreds, before the sides shook hands on a draw with England 352 for 4 and celebratory hugs broke out on the England balcony.”I can’t credit the batters enough for fronting up and taking on that challenge. Normally there are a few nerves on day like this but the calm way that Trotty and Belly batted was just fantastic. You can say it’s a flat wicket but when you know you have to bat for 150 overs a series win seems a long way away.”This article was updated at 2.30pm on December 17, 2012 with additional media conference material